{"id":59650,"date":"2022-12-20T08:29:18","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T16:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/12\/20\/majority-of-texas-voters-back-marijuana-legalization-and-three-in-four-support-decriminalization-poll-finds\/"},"modified":"2022-12-20T17:46:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T01:46:00","slug":"majority-of-texas-voters-back-marijuana-legalization-and-three-in-four-support-decriminalization-poll-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/12\/20\/majority-of-texas-voters-back-marijuana-legalization-and-three-in-four-support-decriminalization-poll-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Majority Of Texas Voters Back Marijuana Legalization, And Three In Four Support Decriminalization, Poll Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A majority of Texas voters support legalizing marijuana, and about four in five residents feel cannabis should be legal for either medical or recreational use, according to a new poll.<\/p>\n

The University of Texas\/Texas Politics Project Poll additionally found that a strong majority (72 percent) back decriminalizing marijuana by making the offense punishable by a citation and fine without the threat of jail time.<\/p>\n

As lawmakers prepare for the 2023 session, the survey sends a clear message that Texas voters are eager for reform, with 55 percent saying that they believe cannabis possession should be legal for any purpose either in any amount or small amounts. Another 28 percent said marijuana should be legal for medical purposes only, while just 17 percent said it shouldn\u2019t be legal at all.<\/p>\n

Democrats came out strongest in favor of reform, with 72 percent expressing support for broad legalization and another 19 percent saying it should be legal only for medical use. Independents followed, at 57 percent support for legalization for any purpose and another 31 percent support for medical cannabis legalization alone. Republicans were the least supportive, but 41 percent still said the plant should be legalized for any use and another 36 percent favor allowing medical marijuana only.<\/p>\n

The poll separately asked Texas voters if they \u201csupport or oppose reducing the punishment under Texas law for the possession or use of small amounts of marijuana to a citation and a fine,\u201d which is effectively a decriminalization model.<\/p>\n

There was majority support for the proposal (72 percent). That includes respondents across virtually all demographics surveyed, including Democrats (84 percent), independents (66 percent) and Republicans (63 percent).<\/p>\n

\n

The December UT\/Texas Politics Project Poll checks in on Texas attitudes from job approvals for Texas leaders to views in policy areas including marijuana, gambling, climate, investment incentives, business engagement of social issues, & more. https:\/\/t.co\/GsnpZFCB7g<\/a> #txlege<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/RNMyMlGHz3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Texas Politics Project (@TxPolProject) December 19, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Texas lawmakers will have a chance to enact such a reform during the upcoming legislative session, but it remains to be seen whether the conservative legislature will once again brush aside public opinion on the issue.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers have already filed several reform bills for 2023, including legislation to legalize marijuana for adult-use, expand the state\u2019s limited medical cannabis program and make changes to hemp rules. The prospects of those proposals advancing remains in question, however.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0House approved a cannabis decriminalization bill<\/a>\u00a0in 2019,\u00a0but it did not advance<\/a> in the Senate that session. Lawmakers have since been\u00a0unable to pass additional expansive cannabis bills<\/a>\u00a0in recent sessions.<\/p>\n

For his part, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said that\u00a0he doesn\u2019t believe people should be incarcerated<\/a>\u00a0over low-level marijuana possession. However, the governor incorrectly suggested that lawmakers have already adopted the policy statewide.<\/p>\n

This latest poll<\/a> from the University of Texas involved interviews with 1,200 self-declared registered voters from December 2-11, with a +\/- 2.89 percentage point margin of error. It builds on a number or prior surveys similarly underscoring that Texans are ready for a cannabis policy change.<\/p>\n

A poll released last year found that a strong majority of Texans\u2014including most Republicans\u2014support even broader reform to legalize marijuana<\/a>\u00a0for adult use. Another survey found that 60 percent of voters in the state\u00a0support making cannabis legal \u201cfor any use\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and about nine in ten voters think marijuana should be legalized for some purpose.<\/p>\n

Additionally, a poll released in June\u00a0found that cannabis legalization is more popular in Texas<\/a>\u00a0than the state\u2019s top elected officials and President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n

House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) said in September that he will work to\u00a0enact criminal justice reform in the 2023 session<\/a>, and he again expressed support for lowering penalties for marijuana possession.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O\u2019Rourke (D), who was the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Texas this year,\u00a0has long advocated for an end to marijuana prohibition<\/a>\u00a0and included the reform as a tenet of his campaign.\u00a0But he ultimately lost the race to Abbott.<\/p>\n

There were some drug policy reforms that did advance in the legislature during last year\u2019s session, but not necessarily at the pace that advocates had hoped to see.<\/p>\n

A bill to\u00a0expand the state\u2019s medical cannabis program<\/a>\u00a0and another to require a study into\u00a0the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics<\/a>\u00a0for military veterans were enacted.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Texas Republican Party adopted a platform plank<\/a>\u00a0endorsing decriminalization of marijuana possession in 2018, but that was later rescinded.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, there\u2019s been a surge of local action on marijuana issues under home rule laws in Texas over recent years. That includes last month\u2019s election, which saw five Texas cities approve local cannabis decriminalization<\/a> ballot initiatives.<\/p>\n

Voters in\u00a0Denton,\u00a0Elgin,\u00a0Harker Heights,\u00a0Killeen, and\u00a0San Marcos had the chance to weigh in on the reform\u2014and each of them passed the cannabis measures on their ballots.<\/p>\n

In Harker Heights, the City Council voted to repeal the decriminalization initiative shortly after it was approved by voters on the November ballot, prompting activists to launch a signature drive<\/a>\u00a0to put the issue back in voters\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n

Ground Game Texas, which was behind a number of successful local decriminalization measures that passed this year, turned in those signatures to repeal the Council\u2019s action<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n

While only Harker Heights has moved to repeal the initiative altogether so far, activists are also closely monitoring a recent action by Hays County Criminal District Attorney Wes Mau, who submitted a request for a legal opinion on the San Marcos decriminalization measure from state Attorney General Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Killeen, the\u00a0City Council decided to press pause on implementing the local voter-approved decriminalization ordinance, arguing that there are legal concerns that lawmakers need to sort through before potentially giving it their approval.<\/p>\n

They lifted that pause and officially approved the ordinance earlier this month. But the local lawmakers amended it to remove a provision that would prohibit police from using the smell of cannabis as probable cause for a search or seizure.<\/p>\n

In Denton, local officials didn\u2019t pursue an outright repeal of the reform measure that voters approved there, but they did initially challenge key provisions, saying that the city isn\u2019t authorized to direct police to make the prescribed policy changes. However, the mayor and city manager have said that low-level cannabis offenses will continue to be treated as low law enforcement priorities.<\/p>\n

Austin voters strongly approved a marijuana decriminalization measure<\/a>\u00a0this past May\u2014and it doesn\u2019t appear that the city has grappled with any major legal battles over the modest policy change.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, San Antonio, the second largest Texas city by population, could\u00a0get the chance to locally decriminalize marijuana<\/a>\u00a0in May 2023 after activists announced in October that they were launching a signature drive for ballot placement.<\/p>\n

\n

Congress Keeps Ban On D.C. Marijuana Sales While Failing To Act On Cannabis Banking And Expungements<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Majority Of Texas Voters Back Marijuana Legalization, And Three In Four Support Decriminalization, Poll Finds<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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A majority of Texas voters support legalizing marijuana, and about four in five residents feel cannabis should be legal for either medical or recreational use, according to a new poll. The University of Texas\/Texas Politics Project Poll additionally found that a strong majority (72 percent) back decriminalizing marijuana by makingContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":59651,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59650"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59650"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59652,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59650\/revisions\/59652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}